SAIT gym should be more user-friendly

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for us all to face the truth: the gym at SAIT’s Campus Centre could use some improvements.

It is far from an ideal place to exercise. For people new to working out, the machines can be intimidating, and the mirrors everywhere can be distracting.

In a discussion on the SAITSA App, common complaints were that space is limited, and the equipment is in poor condition.

Not only are there simply not enough implements, such as squat racks, there is no place to deadlift, and, indeed, a rule against deadlifting and dropping weights instead of gently lowering them. A deadlift platform would not only save the floors, but allow people to do this basic movement conveniently.

The use of chalk is also prohibited. While it can be difficult to clean up, chalk helps athletes protect their hands from damage when lifting weights.

However, it isn’t only weightlifters who feel that the gym could use some changes.

“The gym is really dark and didn’t make me feel as happy as exercise is supposed to make you,” said Mia Miehe, a second-year library information technology student.

“It’s in a basement and you really feel the basement vibes.”

The “bad vibes” are something I have also experienced in the gym. Every gym has its own atmosphere, and the atmosphere in the SAIT gym might be best described as hostile or unfriendly.

Although Miehe used the gym regularly in her second semester because the fees are included in tuition, she only ever used the treadmills because she didn’t know how to use the other equipment.

“Posting literature about the best ways to use the machines and other equipment would be a huge help,” she added.
The somewhat unwelcoming nature of the gym is unfortunate, because I and many students would love to use it.

It would be far more convenient to work out between classes, rather than hauling myself all the way out to the strongman gym I frequent.

However, when the gym at SAIT is so crowded and unfriendly, it can be hard to get into the proper mindset for a workout.

Although changing the atmosphere of a place can be difficult, there may be ways to help people feel more comfortable there.

“It would be nice if they included a few classes in the facility fees charged with tuition,” said Miehe.

Providing help and instructions for newcomers, as well as adding more of the equipment students want, would encourage more students to make use of the facility they pay for.